The award for ‘oxygen stealer of the month’ goes to the lovely lady – Sarah – who decided to take umbrage with my cheese consumption!

Perhaps this is a little harsh? ‘Oxygen stealer’ is a term that the Urban Dictionary states is, “Closely related to the Fuckwit family, a person who is a complete waste of O2 and would do the world a favour by not breathing it. Usually can be replaced by a half dozen trees to do the world some good and further the advancement of the human gene pool by not existing.”…yes, perhaps a little harsh…but then I like harsh at times.

To be honest though, I was so annoyed by the comments made on one of my blog posts that I couldn’t help but have a little rant. Maybe I have too much time on my hands and too little to worry about if I am getting annoyed by a simple comment about cheese? Maybe the fact that they have too much time on their hands is evidenced by their need to talk about my cheese eating habits?! Maybe their comment was well-meaning – or was it patronising and demeaning?!

So what was said? Here we go, a little screen shot…

This is what I call a ‘reverse shit-sandwich’. You have have heard of a ‘shit-sandwich’ before…when you want to deliver some bad news, or say something horrible, so sandwich it between two nicer comments. But this was a reverse one…my cheese intake is too high – I’m an inspiration – but I am deluded and only publish nice things that people say about me…a reverse shit-sandwich!

I guess what I took the most offence at was being told that I only publish and approve glowing comments. This made me chuckle! The comments I publish are the comments that I receive – the majority of people are nice – simple really. Most people recognise that I am trying hard to change my life and that my eating habits now are a world away from what they used to be. And actually, some comments don’t see the light of day because – as I type – I have 154,828 comments awaiting approval…most of which are offering me Viagra or Tramadol! Forgive me for not being able to sift through this lot – I wish that I could just allow automatic comment approval, but I don’t want the spam that goes with this. I will get my techie other half on the case to see if I can please you Sarah. I have no issue in publishing critical comments; I rarely get them however – but when I do, I enjoy a good rant about them. As for knowing that I only publish glowing comments, know this – I think that you are an ass! Why on earth would anyone want to send a comment to someone trying to save their life and change their life that wasn’t positive? I know that I wouldn’t, and I know that the vast majority of people who read my blog wouldn’t either…because they appreciate the effort that it takes and appreciate the fact that such comments aren’t helpful.

The meal in question was this one…

…and my comments about this meal were as follows: “Dinner was a mixture of ratatouille type veggies – onion, courgette, tomatoes, tomato purée, peppers – with a can of mixed beans in tomato sauce and a packet of Batchelor’s savoury rice, topped with cheesy loveliness…one of those cheesy blankets that Adam Richman got me started on…yes, it looks terribly unhealthy…but it wasn’t, so don’t even think about giving me grief over it!”

What I probably should have written is that whilst this amount of cheese is excessive, so were the two McDonalds meals, six packets of crisps, six sausage rolls, family-sized chocolate bar, and takeaway with sides that I would have had this time last year for dinner. And actually, Cheese Police, there was in fact 120g of cheese there…giving me 360kcals, 16.2g saturated fat and 114% of my RDA of calcium…if you really want to get specific. What I should have written was that in the context of my daily meals and allowances, this was a perfectly acceptable meal. What I should have written was that the cheese is weighed and measured to ensure that I get enough calcium…as there have been studies which evidence that weight loss plans high in calcium are particularly good for helping remove fat from the body. What I should have said is that my food diary is analysed by my hospital dietitian – an extremely qualified lady – along with my Slimming World consultant – an extremely experienced lady – who are both thrilled with my eating and my progress.

Oh yes, progress. I forgot that bit! If I can eat cheese and lose over 200lbs – 14st 4.5lbs to be precise – then why the hell not? It isn’t as if I have developed a heroin addiction which has seen my weight drop. I am not eating children between two slices of bread. I am not using my daily calorie intake for ready meals and alcohol…what is so offensive about cheese?! If I can lose weight enjoying cheese and crisps then why would I want to become a weight loss martyr and shun that food? Losing the weight alone benefits my health far more than a reduction in cheese consumption would…I have weighed up the benefits, just as I weigh my cheese!

I am well aware that my diet will change as my journey progresses. Yet whilst it is working, and I am staying on plan and losing weight and feeling great, forgive me if I don’t welcome such comments. At no point in my blog have I ever claimed to be a dietitian, a nutritionist or a Slimming World consultant. At no point in my blog have I advised or encouraged people to eat the same meals as I do; in fact, I discourage this as I am well aware that what works for me is unlikely to work for others. I make certain choices that fit in with the freedom and flexibility of the Slimming World plan – some people choose alcohol and chocolate for syns, I don’t – some people eat a lot of eggs and yogurts and drink milk – I don’t…I choose to get my calcium allowance from cheese, which is also a good source of protein for me when I eat vegetarian meals…hence the reason that it is also a ‘Healthy B’ choice on a Green day.

As for being deluded, well?! I happen to think that I am one of the least deluded people out there at the moment and have no issues in being honest with myself. I am honest in my blog and admit my short comings, I take pictures of my food for all to see, I discuss my weight openly (albeit anonymously for now), I have laid bare my psychological issues and the manipulation techniques that I used to get loved ones to buy me food…I even admitted that I like farting in front of fans for fecks sake! I am incredibly aware of my size and the impact that this has on my life. I am incredibly aware of the length of time that it is going to take me to turn my life around. And I am incredibly aware that I won’t and can’t please everybody all of the time. I am also aware that putting, “so don’t even think about giving me grief over it!”, is like opening a can of worms and inviting the crazies to comment…so thank you for proving me right Sarah – I salute you! And please don’t patronise me by telling me to be honest with myself – I am not an eejit or a dog that needs patting on the head and nudging in the right direction.

My other half has just made me chuckle…he was laughing over the fact that I am having a rant about cheese whilst dressed in red/orange clothes…he told me that he can’t decide what I look more like, a giant cheesy WotSit or a Babybel! To prove that I am not deluded, I am going to go with Babybel – as it is round! He also said that I would make a shite celebrity as I don’t handle criticism well…moi?! And told me off for being mean…but then he got a taste of my wrath and changed his mind! And my Dad also told me off too when I discussed it with him…saying something along the lines of “Don’t hate the haters just because they disagree…you aren’t always right, but then again they should just leave you to get on with things if it’s working!”.

Woosaah – and breathe! Apologies for ranting guys. I do appreciate the point that was being made…too much cheese is not good. Yet this is only the case if you are not monitoring intake through weighing and measuring and ensuring that it fits with your calorie intake etc. It would also be the case if I had cholesterol issues perhaps, but I have blood tests at least every three months and have always been told that my cholesterol and fat levels in my blood are perfectly fine…incredibly good in fact. What works for one isn’t going to work for another. My diet now is healthy – so much more so than it was. The plan was not for me to turn from sinner to saint overnight…and I doubt that I will ever make saint status – especially with my love of the ‘C’ word. My eating plan will evolve over time, as will my exercise, as will my mind and body…I don’t need pushing in the ‘right’ direction as I am heading there already.

I do love hearing from people, but be warned – if you are trying to pick apart my eating when I haven’t asked for this to happen, you may well feel the sharp end of the ‘B’ in ‘ WLB’. If I ask for advice, that is totally different though…all comments welcome. If you have genuine questions – such as, “That looks to be a lot of cheese, how does it fit in with your plan?”, then I will gladly answer it. But do not dare accuse me of only posting the glowing comments without expecting any comeback…who is the deluded one now?!

Right then…the usuals…

I went to a cheese festival today – only joking! Today it has been Mr WLBs birthday! He has joined me in years now, so I can’t claim a toyboy – it’s his 32nd birthday. It has been fairly sedate though, with a pain au chocolat and strawberry breakfast for him – not for me though – and a nice leisurely day. We did have a little birthday tea party at lunch when my niece and nephew came over for a picnic lunch and to sing him ‘happy birthday’! He was harassed by my niece, who adores him – a girl crush! – and sat watching Peppa Pig with my nephew. We did all of the usual stuff – my exercise, his project, the horses, the shops – and tonight will relax hopefully. Oh, and my dog got a sneaky bit of Thorntons chocolate cake as my niece ‘accidentally’ dropped it on the floor for her!

Another yummy food day! Breakfast had the added loveliness of sweet and juicy strawberries, and lunch was just something quick for me to grab before the kids came over for their picnic…less temptation for me that way. Dinner was just something quick and simple with yet more melted cheese…I promise I will get over this Cheese Police thing soon! And my snacks were my trusty sidekicks.

It was nice to get off the treadmill today. I love the feeling that the exercise gives me, but this weather is a bit stifling really. I know that I need to do it though, and so just get straight on the treadmill when I come downstairs…not sitting down first or else I wouldn’t get on it.

Thank you for reading – and I hope that I haven’t scared anyone off! Let’s face it though, to reach 43st+ I have to have had some issues, and one of those has always been the need to rant!